What settings to turn down to increase frame rate in VR

[Flogger23m]

Decided to get a  Quest 2 for $200. While it isn't the newest VR tech I find it to have acceptable visual quality. My frame rates tend to be 70-80 when using the Quest 2, although when I select a flyable plane it drops to around 45. When running without VR, I get around 80-130 frame rates depending on mission size and location as a reference.

The attached photo shows my current graphic settings. What settings are best to turn down with my configuration? I have mirrors turned off as well.

Specs:

RTX 4070 Super

Ryzen 7800X3D

32GB DDR4

SSD

NVMe SSD

Win 10 Pro

[diego999]

SSAO off

SSLR off

Clouds to high

SSS off

Visib range to high

Textures to medium

I'd test those, in that order, one at a time, to see how much improvement do you get.

[Qcumber]

Turn visibility range down to "High" and turn off SSS, it looks crap in VR. Also SSAO and SSLR don't do anything noticeable in VR and are performance hogs. Turn off lens effects and heat blur. I do not notice any effects of anisotropic filtering so leave it off. The same for cockpit global illumination. 

Try using DLAA instead of MSAA. 

What is you pixel density set to and overall resolution modifiers? You might be pushing the resolution higher than us needed. Aim for a total of about 3500x3500. Basically push the res slider to the right for about 5000x2700 and add an additional 1.3 modifier in oculus tray/debug tool.

You could also try installing quad views foveated rendering. In fixed mode you can get a nice performance boost when you get the settings right. 

If you are using quest link you can use oculus debug tool or oculus tray tool to reduce the fov. The Q2 lenses don't use the whole panel size so you can crop this without any noticeable effect. 

[speed-of-heat]

What the others have said, but I would also recommend terrain object shadows to flat 

[freehand]

A clean lean machine I have zero junk running in the back ground  have always had this approach from many years ago the rest is straight forward. 

[BIGNEWY]

can you share your NVIDIA settings also. There are some tweaks you can make there to help improve performance. 

for example 
pre-rendered frames - 1 

power performance mode - prefer maximum 

Low latency mode - ultra

[Hiob]

4 hours ago, speed-of-heat said:

What the others have said, but I would also recommend terrain object shadows to flat 

Second this! In a way flat looks better anyway (less movement).

Also when you use DLSS, (try balanced for extra fps), use the sharpening slider. 50-70% is fine. You can go even higher though. Sharpening doesn't cost performance and improves the looks with DLSS quite a lot.

[Phantom711]

What are your settings in the Meta Software?

Did you touch the PD settings in DCS under the VR tab?

[Flogger23m]

On 4/1/2024 at 11:14 PM, Qcumber said:

Try using DLAA instead of MSAA.

What is you pixel density set to and overall resolution modifiers? You might be pushing the resolution higher than us needed. Aim for a total of about 3500x3500. Basically push the res slider to the right for about 5000x2700 and add an additional 1.3 modifier in oculus tray/debug tool.

You could also try installing quad views foveated rendering. In fixed mode you can get a nice performance boost when you get the settings right. 

If you are using quest link you can use oculus debug tool or oculus tray tool to reduce the fov. The Q2 lenses don't use the whole panel size so you can crop this without any noticeable effect. 

 

Doesn't DLSS run in place of DLAA and MSAA? Pixel density is set to 1.2.

For the resolution modifier is that something that is done via the Occulus software? I do have the basic Oculus software installed, how do I enable the debug tool?

 

For Nvidia settings:

pre-rendered frames - 1

Power performance - prefer maximum

Low latency mode was off, turned it to ultra.

 

Edited April 3, 2024 by Flogger23m

[Qcumber]

4 minutes ago, Flogger23m said:

Doesn't DLSS run in place of DLAA and MSAA? Pixel density is set to 1.2.

These are all anti-aliasing options. MSAA is a performance hog. DLAA is much better for performance. DLSS is upscaling with AA so gives the best performance at a small cost in quality. 

6 minutes ago, Flogger23m said:

For the resolution modifier is that something that is done via the Occulus software? I do have the basic Oculus software installed, how do I enable the debug tool?

Oculus debug tool is buried in the installed oculus files and is aimed at developers but we all access it to tweak settings. It's a bit easier to use oculus tray tool. 

https://www.apollyonvr.com/oculus-tray-tool

https://developer.oculus.com/documentation/native/pc/dg-debug-tool/?locale=en_GB

 

[Flogger23m]

Thank you will look into the debug tool.

Turning down visibility range from ultra to high resulted in a big performance jump, from 45-55 to 45-55 to 75-85. Sometimes it goes up to 75-85, other times it drops back down. Seems to be a bit inconsistent, so will turn down more of the above settings to see if I can get it to stabilize at the higher 75 range.

[LaunchAlert5]

There are some guys running 4090s with lower settings in VR.

What's your actual resolution setting in the Oculus App? Specifically, what frequency/refresh rate (72/90/120 Hz, etc) and Resolution (ex. - 5408x2736 pixels)? The 1.0/1.1/1.3 number changes depending on frequency for my Quest 3.  

What are your DCS VR tab settings? Start with Pixel Density set to 1.0. If you have GPU head room after solving your problem, maybe try 1.1 but you'll get more fidelity setting SuperSampling in ODT, OTT, OXRTK or Quad Views. Either way, try to only add SS with one of these methods.

Set FOV multiplier in Oculus Tray Tool or OpenXR Tool Kit to 0.85/0.85 and tweak up/down until you stop seeing black bars. You're losing FPS by rendering frames you can't even see. 

Outside of that, try these DCS settings:

Resolution - Set to lowest setting possible. This is what's rendered on your external monitor that you don't see because you're in a headset. You can also create a custom game profile in Oculus Tray Tool and set this here to something like 800x600.

DLSS Perf/Quality - PERFORMANCE
Sharpening - 0.5 +/- (look and see what looks best when everything else is stable)

Textures - HIGH
Terrain Textures - HIGH
So... I'd rather have these both set to HIGH and all the other bells & whistles set to OFF, vs Degraded Textures with AI Civilian Traffic & super dense chimney smoke. Personal preference here, of course, but give everything below a shot before setting your Textures any lower.

Shadows - LOW or MED
Flat Shadows Blur - OFF
Secondary Shadows - OFF
SSS - OFF

Visib Range - HIGH
Civilian Traffic - OFF
Clouds - MED
Water - MED

SSAO - OFF
SSLR - OFF
Lense Effects - Dirt + Flare
Heat Blur - OFF

Clutter/Grass - OFF(0) to 350
Forest Vis - 70%
Forest Details - 70%
Scenary Details - 70%

Chimney Smoke Density - OFF or 1
Terrain Object Shadows - FLAT
Full Screen - OFF (may make a diff, may not)
Cockpit Global Illum - OFF

 

Few other tips:

Set DCS Priority in Windows Task Manager to HIGH

Create Windows Defender Exemption for DCS parent and User/Saved Games folders. (**This one hack makes network admins cringe)

Shut down all the BS background tasks and services (Messenger/Browsers/Reddit/Discord, etc)

Windows Automatic Updates: OFF

[speed-of-heat]

49 minutes ago, LaunchAlert5 said:

Create Windows Defender Exemption for DCS parent and User/Saved Games folders. (**This one hack makes network admins cringe)

not as much as the last one   and to be honest its a sensible managed risk right now... not so sure when we get the F4 ... jury remains out 

[MADLOU1]

10 hours ago, LaunchAlert5 said:

There are some guys running 4090s with lower settings in VR.

I don't get it. Some people are paying $1800 for a 4090 graphics card and still have to turn down significant  settings. If I paid that much for a GPU I would expect to be able to have all settings set to HIGH with a decent frame rate in VR. I just upgraded to a $500 4070 from a 3060 ti and can get 75+ fps with most settings on HIGH. My CPU is a measly I5-12600K.

I do have DCS set as a high priority via Picasso Lasso and have a Booster program which shuts downs all background tasks and services.  Maybe that is the answer. I also have a HP Reverb G2 headset.

[Qcumber]

21 minutes ago, MADLOU1 said:

I just upgraded to a $500 4070 from a 3060 ti and can get 75+ fps with most settings on HIGH. My CPU is a measly I5-12600K.

I think the 4070 is the sweet spot for DCS VR. You can get some amazing results without having to file for divorce. 

BTW: $500 for a 4070 is a good deal. 

[Hiob]

1 hour ago, MADLOU1 said:

I don't get it. Some people are paying $1800 for a 4090 graphics card and still have to turn down significant  settings. If I paid that much for a GPU I would expect to be able to have all settings set to HIGH with a decent frame rate in VR. I just upgraded to a $500 4070 from a 3060 ti and can get 75+ fps with most settings on HIGH. My CPU is a measly I5-12600K.

I do have DCS set as a high priority via Picasso Lasso and have a Booster program which shuts downs all background tasks and services.  Maybe that is the answer. I also have a HP Reverb G2 headset.

That depends on so many factors. Pixel density, how comfortable you are with reprojection, what the actual bottleneck in a given situation is. What you mean with „high“ settings. When you put everything to high (including clouds and view distance and other options that have ultra settings). You will get 90+ fps (in most instances) when you don’t overdo it with the pixels.

However, you can bring any hardware to its knees, even a 4090. Put everything to maximum settings, up the pixel density, and turn of reprojection and let the stutter fest begin.

The 4090 is powerful (unmatched right now afaik), but is no magic bullet.

VR is frickin‘ taxing unfortunately.

[MADLOU1]

2 hours ago, Qcumber said:

I think the 4070 is the sweet spot for DCS VR. You can get some amazing results without having to file for divorce. 

BTW: $500 for a 4070 is a good deal. 

In a few months it will be going for $300 or less  LOL

[Qcumber]

5 minutes ago, MADLOU1 said:

In a few months it will be going for $300 or less  LOL

Only once the 5070 launches I think!?

[MADLOU1]

1 hour ago, Hiob said:

That depends on so many factors. Pixel density, how comfortable you are with reprojection, what the actual bottleneck in a given situation is. What you mean with „high“ settings. When you put everything to high (including clouds and view distance and other options that have ultra settings). You will get 90+ fps (in most instances) when you don’t overdo it with the pixels.

However, you can bring any hardware to its knees, even a 4090. Put everything to maximum settings, up the pixel density, and turn of reprojection and let the stutter fest begin.

The 4090 is powerful (unmatched right now afaik), but is no magic bullet.

VR is frickin‘ taxing unfortunately.

Agreed.  But paying $1800 for a GPU just to play a couple games would put me AND my marriage on our knees!  LOL!

Wonder when the 5000 series GPUs are coming out?  

[Flogger23m]

3 hours ago, MADLOU1 said:

In a few months it will be going for $300 or less  LOL

5070 will likely release around this time next year. So it will be a longer wait most likely if you're looking for a sub $400 RTX 4070.

[LaunchAlert5]

10 hours ago, MADLOU1 said:

I don't get it. Some people are paying $1800 for a 4090 graphics card and still have to turn down significant  settings. If I paid that much for a GPU I would expect to be able to have all settings set to HIGH with a decent frame rate in VR. I just upgraded to a $500 4070 from a 3060 ti and can get 75+ fps with most settings on HIGH. My CPU is a measly I5-12600K.

I do have DCS set as a high priority via Picasso Lasso and have a Booster program which shuts downs all background tasks and services.  Maybe that is the answer. I also have a HP Reverb G2 headset.

I feel your frustration.  To be fair, I would think most 4090 guys are not running on a Quest 2 and pushing significantly more total pixels. 

I know a few mid-tier Nvidia GPU guys who fly at forced 36 FPS (72 Hz) & 45 FPS (90 Hz) with good results.  ASW locked on or off? I could never make it look good and don't remember. I prefer to lower settings and achieve a natural 72 FPS. 

However, this may allow you to crank the visual eye candy. 

Don't forget to explore FOV and Fixed Foveated Rendering adjustments.   

Cheers & good luck  

 

Edited April 8, 2024 by LaunchAlert5

[MHAce75]

Am 8.4.2024 um 00:17 schrieb MADLOU1:

Agreed.  But paying $1800 for a GPU just to play a couple games would put me AND my marriage on our knees!  LOL!

Wonder when the 5000 series GPUs are coming out?  

with a 4090 i am mostly CPU bound, i9-11900KF a bit dated already, sadly.

[KoN]

On 4/7/2024 at 8:35 PM, MADLOU1 said:

I don't get it. Some people are paying $1800 for a 4090 graphics card and still have to turn down significant  settings. If I paid that much for a GPU I would expect to be able to have all settings set to HIGH with a decent frame rate in VR. I just upgraded to a $500 4070 from a 3060 ti and can get 75+ fps with most settings on HIGH. My CPU is a measly I5-12600K.

I do have DCS set as a high priority via Picasso Lasso and have a Booster program which shuts downs all background tasks and services.  Maybe that is the answer. I also have a HP Reverb G2 headset.

Try Enigma cold war server in VR let me know your findings . 

[KoN]

On 4/7/2024 at 10:08 PM, Hiob said:

That depends on so many factors. Pixel density, how comfortable you are with reprojection, what the actual bottleneck in a given situation is. What you mean with „high“ settings. When you put everything to high (including clouds and view distance and other options that have ultra settings). You will get 90+ fps (in most instances) when you don’t overdo it with the pixels.

However, you can bring any hardware to its knees, even a 4090. Put everything to maximum settings, up the pixel density, and turn of reprojection and let the stutter fest begin.

The 4090 is powerful (unmatched right now afaik), but is no magic bullet.

VR is frickin‘ taxing unfortunately.

ED game engine is taxing , not VR .

 

[Hiob]

Just now, KoN said:

ED game engine is taxing

Maybe.... Though I get comparable fps to other game in DCS.

Point was - VR is always more taxing than pancake in the same engine.